The Unseen Side of the Prolific NFT Commentator

by · June 2, 2023

“Yo yo yo, GM GM, baby!! How’s everyone doing?”

If you have been a part of any of the Threadguy’s daily Twitter slots, you’ll know that he starts each one with a variation of this warm and energetic greeting, setting an inviting and lively tone for the thousands who tune in.

Michael Jerome, better known as “Threadguy”, is known to be at the center of polarizing Web3 discussions, drawing significant attention in the ever-evolving landscape. His active involvement, either through posting or being the topic of memesinterviews controversial figuresor offer light hearted comment on Twitter, has consolidated its presence on the platform.

But this confident person took time to develop. We had the opportunity to sit down with Threadguy to uncover the story behind his involvement in the world of NFT, peeling back the layers to reveal the transformative narrative of his journey and what he says is the secret to success with Web3.

Bet on yourself

After exploring the realms of trading cards and sneaker flipping in his teens, Threadguy says he found himself instinctively drawn to the world of NFTs. He experienced a sense of familiarity in them, embracing the passionate communities, the potential to make money and the joy of collecting – all reminiscent of his earlier hobbies.

TG banner
Credit: Threadguy/nft now

It didn’t take him long to realize the enormous potential of the space and commit to it. As a first year business student from Virginia, he had a gut feeling that the NFT and Crypto space was about to explode.

Despite only having a few hundred followers at the time, Threadguy made a bold move. He decided to drop out of school one day after class to focus fully on NFT. “I either do everything or nothing. I’ve always been this way,” Threadguy said. “So I decided I was all in.”

But he did not experience success right away.

“I was not a whale, nor an experienced stock trader, nor the founder of a project,” he told me. “So I searched for a gap in the market. At the time, if you wanted information about an NFT project, there was nowhere to go. Maybe you could stumble upon a few Twitter posts or an out-of-date article. That’s when I decided to write threads about projects I really liked.”

He started posting threads on Twitter about NFT projects under his username DiscoverxNFT consistently for three months.

“In the beginning, there was no distinct personality, no GMs, and no crap posts, nothing,” he said. “I just put information out and that’s how I got traction, going from zero followers to about 5,000.”

For those who haven’t followed Threadguy from the beginning, it may be hard to imagine a time when his posts lacked his unique qualities. In fact, some would claims he hasn’t posted a thread in a long timeshowing the evolution of his content and the changing focus of his online presence.

Becoming Threadguy

In December 2021, Threadguy made a pivotal trade that would change the trajectory of his Web3 journey. After minting an XCOPY piece on the Nifty Gateway, he traded it for a Mutant Ape. Around that time, his account and personal brand really started to take off. To this day, the monkey remains his profile picture and main identifier.

Mutant Monkey
Threadguy’s Mutant Monkey. Credit: Yuga Labs

As he began to build connections within the NFT space, Threadguy formed a strong friendship with Tally Labsthe team behind Jenkins the Valet.

Recalling his early NFT experiences, Threadguy shared, “The very first project I ever created was Jenkins, back in August 2021. I then wrote a thread about them in October 2021. At the time I was relatively unknown and Jenkins was still in its early stages.”

However, over the following six to eight months, both Threadguy and the Jenkins team gained a larger following in the space. During this period, the Jenkins team approached him and expressed their desire to bring him on board.

They were unsure of the specific role or title, but Threadguy suggested “Director of Vibes” as a playful homage to Deeze, whom he credits as the “OG” director of Vibes. To this day, Threadguy proudly holds the position of Director of Vibes on the Jenkins team.

Text to speech: Take the leap into sound

The Threadguy you know now is different from the Threadguy of 2021. “I was very anti-public speaking,” he said. “I was scared and I wanted nothing to do with it.”

In June 2021, however, he says he warmed to the idea of ​​audio after being approached to start a podcast with some other co-hosts in the room. Unfortunately it fell through, but he decided he still wanted to continue.

“I already committed to it, so I was like hell,” he said. “Although I am not experienced, I will do it.”

“It took me months to find my voice.”

Wireman

He decided to start hosting daily Twitter spots with Shilin villain. “I really enjoyed it and wanted to keep doing it,” Threadguy said. “I wanted to have important and engaging conversations and push narratives forward.”

Then in November 2022, he started hosting on his own. “It started very slowly,” he admitted. “It’s so different being a host instead of a co-host; it’s a different vibe. It took me months to find my voice. But ever since then, I’ve been hosting six days a week, every week.”

He adds that hosting a Twitter space is more than just saying hello and chatting for hours. “There are panels, community forums, debates,” he said. “It has taken on a life of its own.”

Balancing being entertaining and informative

Despite being known for his playful and often unhinged banter on the timeline, Threadguy has a remarkable level of self-awareness.

“It took me a while to figure out where I want to sit on that kind of scale between super-high-level information content versus decent entertainment,” he laughed. I like to think I sit somewhere in the middle.”

He admits that he still feels like he is in the experimental process.

“I want to try a bit of everything. I want to push high-level conversations,” he said. “I want to keep my hosting style while adding a level of entertainment and keeping high-quality conversations less boring.”

But it’s not just about having fun and games. For him, it’s all about careful calculation. He constantly considers how one decision will ripple into another.

“I think about how hosting this person can lead to this conversation or this opportunity,” he said. “It’s definitely chess moves.”

Stay relevant, seize the moment

Within the fast-paced sphere of Web3, the rise and fall of influencers and founders can be swift and unpredictable. The landscape moves quickly, where one moment you can be at the pinnacle of success, only to experience a sudden downturn or cancellation the next day. This constant flux creates a prevailing sense of urgency – as if an invisible clock is constantly ticking in the background.

When asked if he feels the pressure to stay relevant and maintain a position at the forefront, Threadguy admits that it is indeed something that is on his mind. However, he approaches this by considering it from two different perspectives.

“The first is to recognize that there is definitely a window. And the window is much shorter than what your mind allows you to believe,” he said. “So many people that everyone saw as pillars in the room are just gone. Especially in this attention economy, when you see people moving on to the next shiny thing, I feel like the best thing you can do is capitalize as much as possible within that window.”

“Even if you’re not number one or changing the game right now, if you continue to consistently post high-quality content, you’ll find that you’ll outlive most people.”

Wireman

Secondly, he emphasizes the importance of establishing a solid and unshakable foundation, and encourages others to act on it without delay. Threadguy emphasizes that outliving everyone else is the most important thing you can do.

“I’ve been doing this for two years. The truth is, the most important thing to keep in mind, at least for the social and content side, is consistency, he said. “Even if you’re not number one or changing the game right now, if you continue to consistently post high-quality content, you’ll find that you’ll outlive most people.”

“So many people come into the room with their guns blazing for two to three months, but it’s not sustainable and they crash and they burn. The slower, calculated approach gives you more time to survive the herd. Surviving the herd is extremely underrated.”

In an age of engaged farming, where the pursuit of attention and admiration from an easily distracted audience reigns supreme, Threadguy understands the delicate balance required to thrive. He recognizes that maintaining his position requires a unique blend of skill, foresight and adaptability to navigate the ever-changing tides.

In such a volatile and fickle ecosystem, the ability to adapt and thrive amid the relentless march of time separates those who can persevere from those who succumb to its relentless pace.

A glimpse of what’s to come

Looking ahead, Threadguy envisions a future that extends beyond the Twitter space. Recently he was also a co-host Jump moved to Los Angeles. While they’ve only been in town for less than two months, he says the move has already opened their eyes to new opportunities and possibilities.

“Running a live show right now lives in Twitter spaces, but one day it could be Youtube or Twitch or even cable TV,” he said. “I want to take advantage of what we currently have here and right now and give people the best possible experience, but also take advantage of what’s happening now to scale and expand what we can do.”

Threadguy also expressed a desire to host more thought-provoking spaces that delve into important topics. An example was his recent conversation with Ben.eth, which gained over 17,000 listeners. The spaces garnered both acclaim and criticism, an aspect he says he consistently embraces as an opportunity for growth and improvement.

This specific desire to improve, mixed with consistency, sets Threadguy apart. What makes it even more interesting is that this consistency and dedication to his craft often goes unnoticed behind the facade he presents.

The transformation from an individual reluctant to speak in public to someone who embraces the role of host is a testament to his growth and unwavering commitment. The best part is that Threadguy’s unfolding journey, the evolution of his voice and presence, has only just begun.

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